


A Hard Christmas to Beat

by AngelGirl768



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas Morning, DBHSecretSanta2020, Fluff, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, lots of kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28674207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelGirl768/pseuds/AngelGirl768
Summary: An early Christmas morning with two androids deeply in love with one another - one of which has an extra special surprise in store for the other.
Relationships: Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	A Hard Christmas to Beat

**Author's Note:**

> My DBH secret santa fic for hheatwaves on Twitter! (I'm pretty sure you have an account here but don't know your username to link it)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Markus woke up from stasis at 5 o’clock in the morning on December 25, 2040. He stretched slightly to get his joints moving and brought his attention to the weight pressing against his side. A small smile graced his lips at the sight of his partner, still fast asleep. 

The freckled android had moved back into the Manfred household after the revolution and, once their relationship was made official, Simon did too. Though, it had taken quite a lot of convincing from Markus, Carl, and all their friends for the blond to accept the invitation, having felt like doing so would be an invasion on the family. 

It had also taken a while to get Simon to sleep in the same bed as him and, even then, it took many nights and lots of encouragement to get him to move past the invisible wall separating their sides of the bed. Though, once the blond got comfortable cuddling during the night, there was nothing that could be done to stop it. 

Ironically, private matters turned out to be quite affectionate, considering how badly small shows of it tended to fluster him in public. This much was demonstrated time and time again in how much he had taken a liking to all the little acts of intimacy they found themselves wound up in at home. 

All the arms snaked around waists while one worked in the kitchen or studio. All the fleeting and lingering kisses left on cheeks and necks and foreheads. The tangle of limbs and the way their heads rested against one another as they lounged on the sofa or, eventually, their bed. 

Simon found himself coming to love all those little moments. In fact, it had only been after having to head to bed with a longing for more affection that he had finally crossed the invisible barrier and touched Markus’s arm. The other had been surprised at the touch, but one thing led to another and soon they were wrapped up in each other just as they had been on the couch mere moments earlier. 

Now, Simon laid in a similar position. His head rested on Markus’s shoulder with an arm across the other’s bare chest as the weight of his body leaned against his side. Their legs tangled together under the covers in a way that the slightest of movements in the wrong direction could hardly be considered innocent. 

Markus smiled at his love and pressed a kiss into his hair. He knew he was up early and that Simon wouldn’t awaken for at least another hour - the time he was supposed to be waking up too.

He just couldn’t help it. He was filled with too much excitement and nervousness for the day’s activities that he knew he couldn’t stay in a restful stasis any longer. Not that that was a bad thing. He’d already rested adequately and the spare time left him able to indulge in one of his favorite pastimes. 

Scanning over the face long committed to memory, Markus couldn’t help but to admire it. It was a well known fact that the PL600 appearance and voice had been a hit with customers and thus used for several other models; resulting in millions of androids having the same features. Apparently this had also resulted in many cases of such androids being confused for one another, though Markus could hardly believe such a thing. 

How could it be that anyone would mistake such remarkable beauty for someone else? Even with only a glance, he knew he’d be able to pick Simon out of a crowd of PL600s in an instant. Sure they all had the same face, but everything about him was also so uniquely Simon. His gentle expression, his ever-tired eyes, the soft slope of his eyebrows, the neat way he kept his hair even years after deviating - it was all so…  _ Simon.  _

Markus brushed a lock of that usually-tidy hair off of the other’s forehead and gave a fond smile as it fell right back into place. He slightly turned his head and gently picked up the hand resting on his chest. Slowly, as to not disturb his lover, he brought the other’s palm to his lips and pressed a kiss to the spot he knew a thin scar ran under the pale synthetic skin. 

He recalled Simon telling him of it for the first time. One of the children he had cared for as a machine had been particularly attached to him. She had wanted to help in the kitchen and had reached for the first thing on the counter that her little hand could grab. Being only 3 or 4 at the time, she wasn’t tall enough to see what she was reaching for and had just barely moved the handle far enough to the edge of the counter that it was about to fall when Simon had noticed it. He had grabbed the large knife before it could hit her, but the girl had still panicked and screamed at the sight of blue blood. 

Simon didn’t think much of the action as he retold the story. He claimed that it was just his programming to protect humans going to work and nothing more. Though, the sparkle in his blue eyes seemed to show that it meant  _ much _ more to him than he was leading on. 

His eyes were always giving him away. The way they’d dart away as he lied, telling the truth without a word being said. The way they so easily filled with tears of anything from happiness to laughter to fear. The way they closed a little too tightly to not meant nothing when he felt overwhelmed and his anxiety got too high. The gentleness and longing in them when he watched small children. They way they’d dull when he was upset. The way they’d slowly close as a happy, content smile cracked across his lips. 

Lips so beautiful that Markus could kiss them forever. Both about the same size and wonderfully shaped, the pale rosy pink only added to their magnificence. They were just so inviting and near irresistible that it was all too easy to capture them with his own. Not too full, not too eye catching - they were just perfect for Simon. 

Simon. Perfect, beautiful, one of a million Simon. His model was old and common, but he was far from either of those things. He was perhaps the kindest person Markus knew and always so helpful. He always went above and beyond what was asked or expected of him and was always incredibly gentle. Markus didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be more desirable, more perfect to spend his time and his life with. 

Smile widening at the thought, he couldn’t help but to scan over that perfect face again. Though, to his surprise, it was just in time to catch the flutter of eyelids as soft blue eyes slowly opened. 

Simon blinked a few times to clear his vision before a small smile crossed his lips, “How long have you been up?” His voice was thick with sleep and adoration. 

A quick check of his internal clock showed that an hour had already passed. It would forever be a mystery to him how admiring Simon could simultaneously make time freeze and fly by like it was nothing. Though, with aloofness and his smile obvious in his voice, Markus replied, “Not long.”

With much ease, he rolled their position so that Simon lay on his back with Markus over him, propped up on one elbow as his other hand reached for his boyfriend’s face. He softly brushed his fingers along the blond’s jaw and smiled as he spoke, “Ready to get up?”

A soft chuckle and gentle voice answered him, “Markus, I just woke up. Give my old systems time to catch up.”

A mischievous grin crossed Markus’s face and a teasing, silky tone graced his voice, “I could wake you faster.” He moved a leg slightly higher and watched in amusement as a blue blush dusted Simon’s cheeks. 

“Markus..!” The quiet scolding came with a gentle slap to his upper arm. 

Markus only gave a soft chuckle in return before he was pressing a light, chaste kiss to the other’s lips and sitting up. He smoothed his hand over Simon’s T-shirt and smiled down at him.

“I love you.” The words were so common in his mind and so easy to say that Markus almost wasn’t sure he’d said them at all.

His confirmation came in the form of a smile crossing pale lips and a few words full of meaning, “I love you too, Dear.”

They stayed in that position for a few minutes, enjoying a world consisting of only the two of them and exchanging words of love and gentle teases. Though, before long, Simon’s systems were all online and he was trying to convince Markus that it was time to get up. The latter won his prompted ‘five more minutes’ before the blond really insisted they had to get out of bed. He gently pushed Markus away and started getting up, the other android quick to follow. 

Now, with perhaps the biggest task of the morning out of the way - getting out of bed was never easy for them - the couple crossed to the other side of the room. Following the rest of their morning routine, they walked through the door to their en suite bathroom, Markus shutting the door behind them as he always did. 

He turned back around just in time to see Simon start the shower to allow the water time to warm to a pleasant temperature. While temperatures didn’t exactly have the same effect on androids as they did humans, the comfort of warmth was still much more enjoyable to them than the way the cold seemed to squeeze and contract their biocomponents. 

Markus crossed the distance between them and brought his hands to the bottom hem of Simon’s shirt. Only having slightly raised it, Simon rested his hands over Markus’s, their presence alone enough to stop him. 

The blond gave a tired, teasing smile full of amusement, “You’re always trying to undress me.”

Markus grinned, “Can’t deny that.”

Simon shook his head as if at a troublemaking child and brought his hands to Markus’s shoulders before leaning in for a kiss. It was just a brief, solid press of lips, but the meaning in it emphasized it tenfold. 

Simon pulled away after the show of affection, just enough to let Markus do as he had desired and pull the old T-shirt off of the other’s body. 

With Markus electing to only wear underwear to sleep while Simon had only worn the single additional piece of clothing - his usual pajama pants had been discarded the night before, as they often were - they were now both left in minimal clothing. 

Markus’s eyes roamed Simon’s chest, not leaving pale skin. He took in the grooves and bumps and scars and mapped out where the various plates of his chassis would meet if his skin had not been projected at the moment. 

His hands moved to his boyfriend’s sides, his thumbs trailing down and smoothing over the soft synth-skin. 

Markus was softly pushed away as a blush crept over Simon’s cheeks again, “Off to your corner..”

“Aww.. but I want to be with yooou...” Markus slightly whined to emphasize his childish act. When he got no response, he continued, “It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked hundreds of times before. We shower and get dressed together just about every day,” a mischievous grin crossed his lips, “And we had sex last night, and the night before, and a few days before that and-“

He was cut off as a furiously blushing Simon spoke, “O-okay! I get your point..!”

Markus chuckled at that and pulled off his boxer briefs, Simon shortly following with his own. The two of them stepped into the shower and Markus found his hands gravitating to his lover’s sides as the blond softly sighed at the warm sensation of the water. 

Showering wasn’t necessary for androids as they didn’t have the same hygiene needs as humans did, though Simon and Markus still regularly enjoyed them nonetheless. After all, the close space was highly intimate; their naked bodies nearly pressed together. Of course, cleaning off any dirt and other substances on their bodies was nice too. 

Markus contently sighed, arms loosely wrapping around Simon’s waist from behind. He pressed a soft kiss to the other’s jaw and let his hands linger for a moment before turning to grab the shampoo. Pouring a decent amount in his palm, he put the bottle down and moved his hands to Simon’s hair. He massaged the soap into the golden strands, smiling at the happy hum it brought out of the other. 

Feeling mischievous again, he gave a slight yet firm pull at the synthetic hair and grinned at the gasp it elicited. Simon quickly turned and slapped at his shoulder as he gave a quick glare that lost any threatening intentions with the dark blush that accompanied it.

Markus’s grin only widened as a soft chuckle left him and he let his hands continue their previous work as Simon turned back around. Before long, Simon was rinsing it out and they repeated the same thing - sans the hair pulling - with the conditioner. This step wasn’t necessary by any means, but they’d take any excuse they could to stay in the shower together for a longer time. However, Simon was soon washing that out too, running and brushing his hands through his soapsud-covered hair. Once it was all out, he reached for the body wash and shower poof. 

He poured some of the body soap onto the green material and brought it to his boyfriend’s body as he began washing him. He gently scrubbed over Markus’s freckled chest and shoulders, free hand aimlessly roaming over the dark skin. He moved down to his stomach and hips before moving to his back and finishing with the rest. He made sure not to rush - to take his time washing and admiring every inch he covered. 

Once finished, he handed the poof to Markus and stole a kiss as they swapped places. It only took a second for Markus to rinse off before he was adding more soap to the squishy puff. He followed practically the same path as Simon had, slowly and methodically cleansing his partner with the lightly fragranced soap. 

Their cleaning routine was finished all too soon for their liking, and Simon tried to buy a little more time as he ran his hands though Markus’s short hair. Both hands busy, a small smile came to the blond’s face, “You should let me wash your hair.”

Markus gave a fond yet tired smile back at the topic that had been mentioned countless times. He had humored Simon several times with what hair he had, though he had also considered growing it out a bit and really indulging his lover’s little fascination. 

Leaning forward slightly to press a kiss to the other’s forehead, Markus replied, “Maybe next time.”

Briefly wrapping an arm around Simon, the other android pulled him closer and leaned forward a bit more to turn the shower off. His lover sighed at the loss of the warmth, just a hint of disappointment tingeing the sound. 

Markus’s hands lingered on Simon’s sides, not quite wanting to let him go yet, and the blond’s hands rested on dark, freckled shoulders. Their foreheads bumped together and they kissed, long and slow. 

Pulling apart, they both let out a happy sound and began untangling their bodies. Once separated and out of the shower, Markus grabbed a towel for himself and turned with another for Simon. Looking the other up and down, he smirked, “You know, I like you all wet.”

Simon snatched his towel away from the other just to throw it back at him, a furious blush on his face. “Sh-shush...” He stuttered out his comeback to the teasing before grabbing his towel once more and beginning to dry off, blue still prominent on his cheeks.

Once both were dry and had their towels around their waists, they headed back towards the door to their room. Though, Markus grabbed the other’s arm before his hand could reach the door knob. Simon turned to look at him and, before there was time for a single word to leave either of their lips, Markus was pressing them together in a gentle and silent apology.

“Sorry I’ve been teasing you so much this morning. Your reactions are so beautiful, it’s hard to stop once I’ve started.” The verbal apology was sincere and even carried a hint of embarrassment in his sheepish tone. 

Simon let out a sigh and smiled, “It’s okay, Love. I know it’s in good nature.” They had been so close together that they could almost feel each other’s lips move as they spoke and Simon closed that distance with a brief peck on his lover’s lips before turning back to the door and opening it.

They walked over to and crowded around their dresser as they started picking out clothes. Simon blushed once more as he dropped his towel to put on a pair of underwear, leaving Markus to give an ever-amused chuckle at the sudden bashfulness before grabbing his own pair to do the same.

Simon gathered up some more clothes from both the dresser and closet before heading to his usual spot to get dressed - in front of a mirror near the foot of their bed. As he began dressing, Markus stayed on the other side of the room and rummaged through his extensive wardrobe. He had many fancy and expensive clothes - not unexpected for the leader of the android revolution - yet still struggled to find a fitting outfit for the special day. 

Eventually, he settled on a nice pair of dark jeans and a dark green sweater that had originally been a part of Simon’s collection though had become his after the blond insisted it looked better on him. Changing into said clothes in front of the dresser, he turned to his lover in time to see him picking at and adjusting his own sweater. It had become a habit of Simon’s to look as good as he could in his clothes as soon as he had been convinced that he could own more than one or two outfits. Over a year later, it didn’t seem like the habit would be broken any time soon. 

Seemingly noticing the eyes on him, Simon made his last adjustment to the collar of the button up he wore under a knitted Christmas sweater and turned around. He couldn’t seem to hide his smile as he quickly looked over the other’s outfit and brought his gaze to heterochromatic eyes. “Ready?”

Markus gave a nod in return, “Just about. Meet you downstairs?”

“Alright,” Simon gave a last, sweet smile to his boyfriend and headed out the door. 

Markus watched said door until he heard it click shut and then a moment more for good measure. Sure that Simon was down the hall and not coming back, he grabbed something from within a dresser drawer and slipped it into a pocket before closing the drawer. Crossing the room to the mirror, he made a few adjustments to his own outfit before heading out the door and after Simon.

Going down the short hall and the flight of stairs to the ground floor, it only took a short walk further to get to the kitchen, where Simon stood at the counter. Walking up behind his boyfriend, Markus brought his arms around the other’s waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. He watched as the pale hands worked, pouring thirium into two mugs he’d already gotten down from the cupboard. As the blond capped the bottle, Markus spoke, “Whatcha making?”

He could hear Simon’s grin as he replied, “Drinks.” The word was followed by pale hands reaching for and grabbing a small flavoring bottle he must have set out before Markus got there too.

That, perhaps, had to be one of the greatest inventions since the revolution. Bottles of thirium flavoring followed the same concept as bottles of liquid flavoring that humans would add to their water. They came in an ever-expanding variety of flavors and added a pleasant taste to their life-sustaining fluid that made topping off their reserves in the morning quite an enjoyable experience to look forward to.

The darker swayed them a bit, purposely inconveniencing Simon the smallest bit and giving a quiet huff of a laugh, “I can see that…”

Simon only smiled in response and added some of the flavoring to both mugs before mixing it in. Spoon set aside, he picked up one mug and brought it to his lips with both hands. He took a small sip and made a pleased hum. 

“Taste good?” 

Simon gave a small nod and hum of agreement. 

“What flavor is it?” 

The other simply nodded towards the other mug, “Peppermint cocoa. I got the sample bottle last time I was at the store. Thought it would be a nice flavor to try.”

Markus moved to the side to pick up his own mug and took a sip. He let out a hum similar to Simon’s as the taste flooded his senses. “Pretty good.” He gave a quick peck to his lover’s cheek and took a step to the door connected to the living room, “Come on.”

The two words were all it took for the other to be trailing after him and towards their favorite sofa. Sitting next to each other, it was more than natural for Simon to lean against his boyfriend and bring his legs up onto the cushions. Markus set his mug on the coffee table for a moment as he grabbed a blanket from the back of the sofa and tucked it around them. He couldn’t help but to smile as he picked up his mug again. They were just so happy and cozy like this and had a busy day of fun and family ahead of them. It didn’t take much thought at all to know that he could easily live like this forever.

Almost as if on cue, Simon brought his thirium away from his lips and spoke of their plans, “Your dad and brother should be up soon,” he seemed to reflect on his words, “Well, not  _ soon _ but within the hour. Most likely.” The last bit was tacked on at the end, almost as if it were an afterthought. 

Markus gave a chuckle, “You know they sure like to sleep in…”

A soft laugh joined in, “Yeah…”

An almost-comfortable silence fell over them for a moment before Markus spoke up, “And after breakfast with my family,  _ your  _ brother is coming over so be prepared for that.” He lightly nudged the other with his elbow and grinned at the laugh it elicited.

“Don’t remind me… It’s always hectic when Daniel comes here, no matter the occasion.” The mere idea seemed to tire Simon out already, yet his love for the other PL600 showed through his smile and persistent giggles. 

“Well, maybe he can tone it down for the holidays. Not be so moody and opinionated.” Markus’s suggestion seemed to only be half joking - wishful thinking, perhaps. 

Simon just laughed harder at the thought, “Have you met Danny? I don’t think that’s possible for him.” A moment passed with nothing but quiet laughter, “He can be a bit much sometimes, but he’s been through a lot. You learn to love his eccentricities.”

Markus knew he couldn’t argue with that. Daniel had been through a lot - more than any deviant deserved. After his reactivation in early 2039, he had been a frightened and violent mess until Simon showed up. Whether it was due to them being the same model or just Simon’s natural ability to calm others, no one knew. Though, in the end, they had forged a close bond that was befitting of no other title than ‘brothers’.

That thought in mind, Markus knew exactly how he wanted to reply, “True, but I’ll never love him as much as I do you.” He nuzzled his face against Simon’s neck to emphasize the point and widely smiled at the giggle it drew out. 

“I’d hope so,” the blond managed to get a few words out between laughs, “You’re mine.”

“I’m yours.” Markus agreed to the playful possessiveness, smile clear in the happy tone of his voice. 

A comfortable silence fell over them after that, a warm air of love and the giddy excitement that comes with it surrounding them. 

Markus took a long drink from his thirium before setting the mug down again and turning towards Simon. With just a glance, all the thoughts from earlier that morning were spilling into his mind again. 

How beautiful that golden hair was, now dry and neatly styled. How gorgeous those blue eyes were, always shining with love whenever he looked at him. How perfect Simon was and how amazingly they fit together, completing each other entirely. He loved him. And he knew he would never love another more.

Endearing smile on his lips, he spoke, “I love you.”

The words were out before he even knew he said them, the first indication of them being said out loud being when the other turned to look at him with a smile on his pale pink lips.

“I love you too.”

Markus blinked, slightly shocked at the unexpected response, and smiled wider. “I love you so much, words can’t even describe it.” He took one of Simon’s hands and kissed his knuckles, enjoying the dusting of blue it brought to his cheeks. “I love every inch of you, inside and out. You’re more than beautiful and are the kindest person I’ve ever met.”   
  


Simon’s blush only darkened as he was barraged with love and compliments, each word dripping with deep affection and sincerity. 

The blush only seemed to encourage Markus further. 

“You help everyone you can and are even willing to sacrifice yourself and your own happiness to do so. You only want the best for everyone and I love that about you. You're selfless to a fault and you love so wholly.”

Bashful eyes were trying to look away now, but gentle hands guided him to look back.

“I love you more than anything and know you love me back just as much, if not more. I’ve seen in your mind and know your love is true and more powerful than anything else I’ve seen. I love you, Simon. And I can’t see myself spending a day without you.” He moved his hands to search for something under the blanket, “I want to spend every day of the rest of our lives together, Love.” He pulled the small box out of his pocket and from underneath the cover before flicking it open.

Simon’s hands darted to cover his mouth and tears brimmed in his eyes.

“So, will you do me the great honor of being my husband?” Markus gave a slight pause as he flashed his beloved a nervous smile, “Will you marry me?”

Tears overflowed in blue eyes and Simon rapidly blinked in a futile attempt to clear them. He nodded enthusiastically and quickly threw his arms around the other. He hugged him tight, tears and smile clear in his voice, so full of emotion that it popped with static as he spoke, “Do you even need to ask…?”

Markus set the box aside and hugged him tightly back as he gave a soft chuckle. “I’ve been waiting for months for the right moment to ask. I think I deserve at least an answer for all that anticipation.”

Simon hugged tighter and shook his head before pulling away just far enough to look into heterochromatic eyes, “I’d say yes on even the worst of days.”

“But what do you say now?” There was no denying the hint of nervousness in Markus’s voice as he bumped their foreheads together. 

“I say yes, you fool.” As soon as the words were out, Simon eagerly pushed their lips together with much more force and excitement than was usual for him. 

Markus hummed into the kiss and brought a hand to the back of the other’s head, playing with the blond hair there. Much sooner than they’d like but much longer than would be humanly possible, they were pulling away and Markus reached for the little box once more. 

“I hope you like the ring. I didn’t want to get you something too flashy…” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly overcome with nervousness again at the thought that Simon might not like it or, perhaps, was even expecting something more. 

The blond gently took the box and plucked the ring out, setting the container aside on the coffee table. He examined the piece of jewelry, tilting it every which way, with a widening smile on his face. It really was quite simple - just a silver band with a thin, slightly glowing blue line through the middle of it.

“It’s beautiful.” Simon followed his reassurance with a kiss to his now-fiancé’s cheek. He pulled away and was stopped as he was about to put the ring on.

“It has our initials on the inside too…” The light dusting of bashful blush on Markus’s face was a rare and beloved sight.

Simon halted his movement to check and, sure enough, when the ring caught the right lighting he would easily see the ’M + S’ engraved in a fancy, curling font on the inside of the band. He smiled wider, “Even more beautiful.” He quickly slipped the band on his finger and leaned forward to kiss Markus again, this time on the lips.

This time, they quickly pulled away as the sound of applause startled them. 

“It’s about time you two made it official.” The sound of Carl’s teasing voice and following chuckle brought their attention to the doorway. 

It appeared that more time had passed than they expected and Markus’s human brother had already gotten their father dressed and downstairs without them noticing. 

Currently Leo stood against the door frame, arms crossed and a smirk on his face that showed the topic wouldn’t be dropped any time soon.

It was likely that the couple would be teased the whole day and well beyond that. Not just by Leo, but by Daniel too once he arrived. And it was never easy to tell what side Carl would take. The old wild card would probably side with whatever amused him more, likely to the couple’s disadvantage. Not that they would mind - they would be flustered, but not once would their smiles leave their blushing faces. They would just be happy and in love and looking forward to the rest of their lives together. 

All in all, it would be a pretty hard Christmas to beat.

**Author's Note:**

> And there it is! I swear half the time I was writing this I couldn't stop thinking how much of a "Markus, we can have sex all night, just let me have m wholesome morning" vibe Simon was giving off xD


End file.
